


Bubblegum

by kissingcullens



Series: Short n Sweet Tumblr Ficlets [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-25 17:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2629625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissingcullens/pseuds/kissingcullens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the prompt:</p><p>"My mum knows your mum and they’re trying to set us up but all i can remember of you is that time you stuck gum in my hair when we were seven so i automatically don’t like you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bubblegum

Imagine their moms set up some pretext to send them out to do some errand together— say, moving some stuff in a car and helping to set up an event (idk)

—-Being well-meant, supportive moms, they’re both embarassingly eager to set their gay (bisexual, mom!) sons up with a nice boy.  
So when Sarah mentions that her son is gay- (BIsexual, mom!) they of course start matchmaking right away.

Sam makes a good-faith attempt to be friendly to Steve and forget all about elementary school (He knows what his mom is up to and he’s a little exhasperated by it, but what can you do?)

In the car, Steve looks bored and distracted, as though he just wants to be somewhere else. He’s POLITE of course, he’s not being rude or anything, but Sam can tell Steve isn’t interested in being friends.  
Well fuck it: it’s his loss anyway. 

It’s too bad that the Rogers kid hasn’t grown out of being such a brat, because he’s actually pretty cute.  
Small, slight, and wiry, with a handsome face and a nice voice.  
Okay, so he’s really cute.  
Pity.

He remembers Steve from Elementary School vaguely.  
He was a smart-alecky kid, always mouthing off to someone.  
And one day Steve came up to him out of the blue at recess and stuck chewed-up gum in his hair! 

Sam had never been mean to Steve like some of the other kids- if anything he’d say he was one of the ONLY kids who had been really nice to Steve- Steve was a tiny kid; asthmatic, bad at sports, bookish-  
Sam had actually gone out of his way to be friendly and sweet to him.

So it had been especially surprising (a betrayal even) that Steve would play a mean joke on him.  
—-he supposes now that it was just one of those bratty kid things that you do without malice, but he’d hated the sight of Steve Rogers for a while after that, and the feeling seemed mutual. 

And the really annoying thing was that Steve had never apologized- he’d just turned bright red and gotten really upset as if HE was the one who had to shave his head because of some dickhead pulling a prank.  
Even after Sam had gotten over it (he’s never been one to hold grudges) Steve was almost agressively snobbish and unfriendly to him.  
In the end, they’d gone to different Middle Schools and Sam had forgotten about him.

The way Steve is acting is really starting to get under his skin.  
Sam is pretty easy-going, but he gets this…. FEELING that Steve STILL doesn’t like him, and it’s getting on his last nerve.  
He’s gotta share a car with the guy for two and a half hours and he doesn’t appreciate being treated like crap for no reason.

So when Steve, in response to some gross commercial on the car radio, makes some snipey comment about discrimination (to himself as though it’ll fly over Sam’s head-) Sam can’t help but say, ironically-  
"Well, I wouldn’t know about discrimination like you do, of course."

Steve looks startled. They drive in silence for a while.

"Sorry." He says, finally.

Sam shrugs, annoyance already evaporating. ”Nothing to be sorry for, don’t worry about it.”

"No, I- I’ve been a real jerk all day." Steve is scowling, his voice sincere.  
"Hey it’s nothing."  
"No, it’s not nothing- I’ve been a heinous fucking douchebag and I’m sorry."

"Well… your words." Sam finally says.

Steve snorts a laugh and Sam smiles in spite of himself. 

Steve continues. ”My mom keeps tryin to set me up with guys after I broke up with my girlfriend, she’s convinced I’m in the closet and that the whole bisexual thing is a big smokescreen…  
…But it’s no excuse, I’ve been taking it out on you and that fucking sucks.”

”Hey forget it,” Sam brushes off Steve’s apology. ”My mom’s doing exactly the same thing. She even SUSPECTS a guy is gay and she’s planning the wedding.  
…I mean, I appreciate it in a way, her heart’s in the right place. Anyway, people have it a lot worse.”

Steve seems doubly abashed by this and Sam charitably changes the subject.

It turns out they have a few mutual friends- Steve is friends with Natasha Romanoff and Peggy and Sharon Carter- making small talk about that, and comparing notes on their mother’s matchmaking attempts, makes for easy ice-breakers. 

And Steve is funny (a little cheesy maybe) and smart, and he’s interested and enthusiastic when Sam tells him about how he’s in school to study counseling and social work.  
They both find a shared passion for helping people and activism, and the hours fly by.

By the time they’re unloading the car, they’re talking like they’ve been friends for years- Sam’s surprised by how much he actually likes Steve now that the guy’s pulled his head out of his ass.  
It’s with some regret that he remembers that they’ve arranged to split up on the way back home- Steve is getting a ride from his brother, Bucky, and his friend, Gabe.  
Steve seems to be thinking the same thing, and he looks like he’s struggling with something. ”I had a really good time today.” He says, chewing his lip nervously.

"So did I." Sam answers, "I almost never have that much fun lugging furniture to the asshole of New Jersey."  
Steve smiles and is about to continue when Bucky shows up and ruffles his hair aggressively with his good arm.  
"Hey Steve- And this is Sam Wilson, right?" Bucky smiles rogueishly. "Hope Steve hasn’t been blowing any bubbles in your hair." 

Steve goes red as Sam shakes hands with his brother.

"I was safe today-" Sam laughs easily. "You remember that, huh?"

Bucky scoffs. ”It was the darkest day of young Steven’s school career- you’ll have to ask him about it sometime.”  
He gives Steve a shit-eating grin before saying “Gotta find the mens’ room, see you in a minute, bro.”

Steve looks disproportionately embarassed at being reminded of the “Gum Incident,” and Sam’s quick to assure him- “You’re not still worried about that, are you? We were kids, it wasn’t a big deal, you know?”

Steve shakes his head impulsively. ”I really, really hated myself for that- I avoided you for a whole year cuz I felt like such a heel.”

Sam looks impressed. ”Man, we seem to keep getting off on the wrong foot, huh?”  
"It wasn’t just that though- the reason I did it… Well, I don’t know what came over me, really, but I um. I kind of had a crush on you."

Sam raises his eyebrows. ”You’re kidding me.”

"Nope." Steve’s smiling self-deprecatingly, scratching his head and looking sheepish. "I had a big, huge, seven-year-old crush on you." He squints. "…I guess my game hasn’t improved much in 13 years.”

"I dunno," Sam says slowly, "All in all I’d say it turned out okay this time."  
"Yeah?" Steve’s voice is light and hopeful.

"Why don’t you tell Bucky and his friend to drive home themselves and we’ll make sure."

**Author's Note:**

> prompted by: therearenostringsonme-steveslogs.tumblr.com


End file.
